District vet’s view on managing livestock during this drought

Aug 23, 2018

Times are tough….Make a decision

Local Land Services have received a dramatic increase in drought related enquiries and reports of animal welfare concerns in the last couple of weeks. There is a high probability we have a number of extremely tough months ahead of us. Are you and your stock ready?

This article is provided by the local District Veterinarian, Helen Schaefer and may help some livestock owners to make hard decisions, especially those with calving cows or lambing ewes. Allowing your stock to lose condition to the point where their welfare is compromised is unacceptable.

‘Wait and see’ is no longer an option – you need to be making decisions now.

FEED:

Feed enough of the right feed

Early lactating animals require significantly more feed than dry animals. They can’t eat enough dry paddock feed or hay to meet their requirements – they need grain or pellets as well. The same is true for heavily pregnant

DO NOT give hungry stock free access to grain or pellets. Introduce pellets or grain gradually.

Dry stock can do well on good quality dry paddock feed or good quality hay alone.

Consider availability, affordability of feed and if you can physically manage the feeding.

To give you an idea of how much is enough, below is a rough guideline (based on “Managing Drought” & “Drought Calculator App” DPI) of how many kgs/head/day stock require using the example of a mix of 80% DDG pellets + 20% hay:

Start with selling “passengers” in a breeding enterprise, then the older breeders. Sell while you have saleable stock. Use the money to pay for feed for the stock you keep, or keep the money aside to restock later

MORE:

Consider early weaning of calves (eg. >100kg) and lambs (>10kg)

Consider stock water availability

You must make a decision that suits you and your situation. What is right for your neighbour may not be right for you.